Deep Briny

There are many kinds of anchorages; but
it is safe to say that there is one place where a vessel will never
anchor. Some SO miles from the coast of Japan, the Nipponese man-of-war
Manchu dropped its sounding lead. The sounding wire rattled
from the drum. Ten fathoms of it ran off into the depths, 20 fathoms,
30 fathoms, 100 fathoms. The drum rolled and rolled and rolled—a mile
of wire sank into the briny deep. Two miles, three miles, four miles.
Still no bottom. Five miles, and...